CEDAR CITY, Utah, April 1, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) – A man has been arrested after an alleged rape attempt in Cedar City.
A probable cause statement from the 5th District Court of Iron County said George Patrick Holland, 32, is facing charges of:
- Attempted rape, a first-degree felony
- Threat of violence, a class B misdemeanor
Officers were called on a report of a sexual assault at about 600 W. 200 South in Cedar City Wednesday, the statement said.
“A female had called into 911 saying a male had just tried to rape her,” the statement said. “She gave a good description of the suspect and it was relayed to officers. Officers arrived and located the male suspect and took him into custody.”
The female stated she was walking her dog on the walking trail, when she took him off the trail to the river to get a drink, the statement said.
“Before she took her dog down she saw the male later identified as George Holland crossing the river from the other side, to her side,” the statement said. “When she did not see him anymore, is when she decided to take her dog down. After getting down to the river, she turned around and saw George was walking towards her.”
He asked if he could pet her dog, the statement said.
“At this point the female had a weird feeling and told him that was not a good idea,” the statement said. “As she pulled the leash back towards her, George stepped in front of her and told her to ‘get on your f—— knees.’ George then stated “I’m going to knock you the f– out.” He also allegedly told the woman there were “other rapists here with him” and that he was going to rape her, the statement said.
“At some point George tried to reach out and touch the female, but she stated if he touched her, her dog would bite him,” the statement said. “This gave her enough time to run up the hill back on the walking trail. She ran into a group of people walking and she began crying and told them she almost got raped. They began keeping an eye on the subject as officers arrived.”
Holland was transported to the police station and read his Miranda rights.
“George kept saying he did not know why he was being arrested,” the statement said. “He stated he relapsed on meth today and was high. He stated at one point he came into contact with the female and she reached out and touched his chest. An officer told George he was being detained for an investigation. At this time George stated I know what this about. I did not rape that girl.”
Holland has a “long criminal history” that includes assault with a weapon, the statement said.
He was transported to Iron County Jail, where he is being held without bail.
